 | Emor |  |
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| | 21:1 |
First Reading
God told Moses to declare the following to Aaron's descendants, the priests: Let no [priest] defile himself [by contact with] the dead among his people,
Vayomer Adonay el-Moshe emor el-hakohanim beney Aharon ve'amarta alehem lenefesh lo-yitama be'amav. |
| 21:2 |
except for such close blood relatives as his mother, father, son, daughter or brother.
Ki im-lish'ero hakarov elav le'imo ule'aviv velivno ulevito ule'achiv. |
| 21:3 |
He may also allow himself to become ritually unclean for his [deceased] virgin sister, who is [also] close to him as long as she is not married.
Vela'achoto habetulah hakrovah elav asher lo-hayetah le'ish lah yitama. |
| 21:4 |
[However,] a husband may not defile himself for his [dead] wife if she is legally unfit for him.
Lo yitama ba'al be'amav lehechalo. |
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Commentary:
defile himself...
See Numbers 19:14.
| close to him
This is a sister who has the same father as the priest (Yevamoth 22b; Yad, Avel 2:1).
| a husband may not...
(Sifra; Rashi). Or, 'a man may not defile himself for a corpse among his people' - when there are others to care for it (Rashi). Or, 'a man may not defile himself, even for the great' (Saadia; Baaley Tosafoth). Or, '[Since he is] a leader, he shall not be defiled among his people' (Targum).
| if she is legally unfit...
See Leviticus 21:7 (Yevamoth 22b; Rashi; cf. Targum Yonathan.) Or, 'since it makes him unfit for service' (Rashi; Rashbam).
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